From the Montello Sun, Saturday June 3, 1882, Montello, Marquette County WI A Chapter of Early History The first village in Marquette County, A Town that once boomed, and was Gall to its Neighbors, But is No More--How a Mob Settled a Dispute, and how Some Pioneer Girls Cleaned out a Constable and his Posse Written for the Sun, by W. R. Peters, of Montello ROXO, situated on section 13, in the town of Packwaukee, was the first village and the first post office established in Marquette county. The village was laid out in 1850, by George LEATHERBERRY and Lawrence BRICKHOUSE, two highly educated and refined young men from Norfolk, Virginia. They bought the claim from a couple of settlers named FOX and DERBY, who had a log house and a few groceries. The two proprietors erected the first frame building north of the Fox River--the same building now occupied as a boot and shoe store by A. H. GERMAN, in Montello. LEATHERBERRY was appointed postmaster, and it was over a year from his appointment before Montello secured an office. For a long time Mart WELLS carried the mail once a week from Kingston, in his overcoat pocket. During that first year, James LOW erected a two-story building, using the lower part for a tailor shop and the upper story for a hall; old man AUSTIN opened a hotel and boarding house; and old Mr. BURGESS built a house and kept boarders, his girls taking in sewing and making themselves otherwise useful. "Uncle" Willis HOTCHKISS, the father of our present Sheriff, and myself were the chief overseers of all the work for the proprietors of Roxo. We built a dock out into the lake 100 feet. The dock was built on the ice, in square cribs of 20 feet each, with a space of 20 feet between the cribs spanned by stringers. It was wholly constructed out of oak timber or logs, the covering being made of oak logs hewn on two sides. It took Uncle HOTCHKISS and myself, with such assistance as we wanted, nearly all winter to complete the dock. Then we built a ferryboat, of larg dimensions. I run this boat down to Omro and had machinery put in so that it could be driven or propelled by two horses working on a "treadmill" on the boat. On its return to Roxo there was a grand excursion on the boat, with music and dancing. The boat, on this occasion, was run just near enough to Montello to show these "benighted suckers" what Roxo could do. She had an hotel, a post office and a ferry- boat, while Montello had no bridge, no post office, no hotel and no store. It was a great day for Roxo, and, I may add, a large night too, as a grand dance came off at Low's Hall that evening. Roxo "boys" cut a road south of Buffalo Lake towards Portage, and I distinctly remember that about twenty of us cut the tamarack trees and fixed the crossing at Dave CADIGAN's farm. Of course it was not completed, and has not been to thid day, although the town of Montello has paid many hundreds of dollars in the effort to secure a permanent bridge at that point. Roxo boomed. The proprietors got on a stock of goods from New York, worth $8,000, and the place became the head center of the county for trade. People came in from every direction, for many miles, to get their supplies. While poor Montello and Packwaukee were struggling along to get a post office and a store, Roxo boys built roads and bridges in every direction. Three other gentlemen came on from Virginia, and went into partnership with the two proprietors. Soon some trouble arose among them, just what it was I never knew; but all of a sudden they dissolved the partnership and put their property into a receiver's hands, the receiver being a Berlin man. LEATHERBERRY went back to Norfolk, Virginia, and BRICKHOUSE went to Pontitock, Mississippi. I received letters from both for about two years; since then I have never heard from either of them. Roxo quickly went to the dogs or to the d---l. Old man AUSTIN, I think, wound up the post office. Today all there is left to mark the spot where Roxo once flourished are a few old excavations made by the early settlers for cellars, on the open field where now stands the little shanty of Andrew CHAPMAN. At that early period Buffalo Lake was a fine sheet of water just opposite ROXO, while above and below it was a mud pond or hole covered, in summer time; with one vast field of rice; and the lake would be the same today were it not for the dam at Montello, which raised the water above the rice. It now has the appearance of being one of the finest little lakes in the United States. In those days (1850-51) there was much trouble among rival claimants of lands, the principal one, and most noted of which I will briefly mention. It arose between one BRAILY and one PATTEN. BRAILY had erected a frame and partially finished a house on a tract claimed by PATTEN, and was about to move into it, when PATTEN's friends, to the number of thirty men, went to the house in a body to demolish things. Arriving on the grounds they found BRAILY on guard, armed with a gun, and swearing that the first man of the crowd who crossed his fence would be shot down by him like a dog. But the thirty men, without saying a word, spread out like soldiers and leapt the fence, all at the same time and about four feet apart. BRAILY meant to shoot, but the men were so spread out that he could not very well hit more than one, and he hesitated. BRICKHOUSE walked up in front of the gun, and pulling open his vest and shirt, said to BRAILY: "Shoot me, you d----d cowardly thief!" And while he was talking to BRAILY the balance of the mob (for I can call them by no other name), mounted in every part of the building, and tore down all the rafters and timbers forming the upper story. They then attempted to tear down the lower story, but finding the work could not be easily done in that manner, the men gathered at the north side of the frame, and raising it up, pitched the whole structure over in a pile, breaking it badly. Then they fell to and threw the whole mass into the highway. The work was short and decisive. In thirty minutes from the time they went there, the whole building was wrecked and thrown into the road by those twenty-nine men, while BRICKHOUSE, the thirtieth man, stood guard over BRAILY and his double- barrelled shotgun. This affair was the cause of a multitude if lawsuits; and BRAILY moved to Marquette, the then county seat of this county, in order to prosecute the parties more effectually, but as he died there shortly afterward, of cholera, all further proceedings were stopped. Nor was the new settlement free from accidents. Old Mr. DAVIS, the father of George DAVIS deceased, who resided in the village of Roxo, was killed while assisting in raising a log house on the farm now owned by Richard MEE. I could mention a great many other persons and incidents, but I have already spun this out too long. No; there is another incident or two, connected with BRAILY's time, that I will speak of. BRAILY swore out a warrant before old BARRUP, a self-constituted justice, for all of the thirty men engaged in demolishing his house, and placed it in the hands of Joe LAKE (one of God's noblemen) to serve. Poor Joe traveled for over a week, but did not succeed in arresting anyone. One night a suit was called to come off at Roxo, and Joe brought up a posse from Montello and arrested two of the men; but they had large, grown up daughters, who objected most emphaticaly and energetically to the proceedings. Seizing LAKE by the collar of his coat and the seat of his britches, the girls tossed him over a six-rail fence, and told him to leave, which he very willingly did. They then turned to his assistants and told them if they did not travel instanter they would be served in the same manner. It is needless to say that Joe and his posse lit out from the presence of the young Amazons, and they took no prisoners with them.
